Goguryeo Kingdom (37-668 B.C.) and the Turks

The Goguryeo Kingdom is an important Korean kingdom that managed to dominate for 705 years with 28 kings ruling in Korea and Manchuria. Since the lands of the kingdom are close to the geography where Turks live, their relations go back to ancient times. However, many nationalities, including Turks, Tungus and Chinese, lived in the Goguryeo Kingdom and it was not an isolated kingdom compared to Baekje and Silla, the other two kingdoms on the Korean peninsula. When the political history of the Goguryeo Kingdom is analysed, it is seen that it was a powerful kingdom that China feared at least as much as the Turks. For this reason, China also attacked the Goguryeo Kingdom in order to prevent the support of the Goguryeo Kingdom while fighting against the Turks. The Goguryeo Kingdom, especially during the reign of King Gwanggaeto in the early V century, had the largest territory and became closer to the region where the Turks lived. In this period, the similarity of the King Gwanggaeto Inscription, the first inscription in Korean history, with the Northern Wei (Tabgachs) and Göktürk Inscriptions seems to be a reflection of the relations with the Turks. In addition, the commercial relations with the Huns, the tribute relations in the Northern Wei (Tabgachs) period and the envoys attending the funeral of Bumin Kagan in the Göktürk Inscriptions are important evidence of cultural and diplomatic relations. Not only the territories gained through wars but also religious factors such as Shamanism and Buddhism were effective in the development of the kingdom. Even with Buddhism, the kingdom entered a period of ascension. Thus, the Goguryeo Kingdom left an important legacy to today's Korea in terms of both political history and Turkish relations and cultural history. Key Words: Goguryeo Kingdom, Turks, Huns, Gokturks, Northern Wei (Tabgachs).